As treaties and trade agreements are implemented this year, more U.S. companies are looking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for fresh business opportunities. Fortunately, a whole host of logistics and transportation service providers are laying the groundwork to overcome inherent infrastructure challenges.

Today, U.S. trucking companies face more regulations than any time in history—and they claim this “regulatory tsunami” is putting the clamp on U.S. productivity. During this session shippers will gain a better understanding of the current state of trucking regulations (HOS & CSA) and the impact they're having on capacity and rates.

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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Truck tonnage is continuing its ride on an up and down road, with a slight decline in March, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). The ATA’s advance seasonally-adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage index dropped 0.7 percent in April after increasing a revised 1.9 percent (from1.7 percent) gain in March. This index was down 2.7 percent in February and was up 3.8 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, in January and December.

Even with some signs of economic improvement apparent, capacity in the trucking market remains tight and is likely to remain that way for a while. This is especially true when looking at the possible impact on capacity that may be caused by CSA 2010 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

With freight volumes moderating in recent weeks and demand seeing a mild decline, the United States Department of Commerce reported today that new orders for manufactured durable goods in April dipped 3.6 percent—or $7.1 billion—to $189.9 billion.

Manpower Group has released the results of its sixth-annual Talent Shortage Survey, revealing that 52 percent of U.S. employers are experiencing difficulty filling supply chain positions within their organizations, up from 14 percent in 2010.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Non asset-based third-party logistics (3PL) services provider UTi Worldwide (UTIW) said this week it has introduced a U.S.-Mexico cross-border service in an effort to “simplify and speed trade across the U.S. and Mexico borders.”

Recent data from TransCore indicated that spot market truck capacity recorded its single highest weekly volume in the last six months. The firm said that truck availability rose 8.0 percent on its DAT Network of load boards, with truck postings for all equipment types seeing gains, including: flatbeds up 8.4 percent; reefer vans up 8.3 percent, and dry vans are up 4.9 percent from the week of May 7 to the week of May 14.

Diesel prices dropped 6.4 cents this week to $3.997 per gallon, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). This represents the single largest weekly decline since a 7.3 cent dip from the week of May 24, 2010.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Following the tragic events of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year, the immediate and long-term impacts of it are likely to impact the United States, due to damage caused to the freight transportation system in Japan.

While the current fuel situation may not be as dire as it was during the summer of 2008, when prices hit nearly $5 per gallon and $150 per barrel, shippers are bracing for prolonged pain at the pump, according to the results of a recent Logistics Management reader survey of roughly 250 logistics, supply chain, and transportation executives.